Of Violins and Bees
by Maomaoyu
Summary: Set in Robots in Disguise. Bumblebee used to be a mute. During the time he was unable to speak , he was given a violin from Raf as a Creation Day gift. Bumblebee hasn't used the violin in orns, too busy to do so with leading a team. But when he finally finds some time to himself, Bumblebee will find that he has missed playing.


**I'm sorry in advance for anything that seems out of place or shaky. I haven't watched Robots in Disguise, or any Transformers cartoon really. All the stuff in here is from other fanfics I've read and stuff found in wikis. If something doesn't seem right, please tell me. Thanks!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Robots in Disguise or anything in Transformers really.**

 **-xxxxXxxxx-**

Sighing, Bumblebee collapsed onto the well-worn couch in the rec room. He stretched a bit, pulling out some stiff joints he had gotten from all the sitting he had done previous. He had just finished filling out a mountain of datapads, sitting in the office for nearly 6 joors before finally he had them completed. The yellow bot lulled on the couch for a bit longer before standing up and making his way to the energon dispenser.

"I could use a break." Bumblebee muttered absently, scratching the back of his helm as he took the bright blue cube of glowing energon. Taking a sip from the energon, the minibot wandered around the base, not really wanting to subject his backside to another round of sitting. He somehow found his legs taking him to the private quarters of the team that lived within, Bumblebee silently counting off the names of his teammates as he passed their respective rooms.

Sideswipe…Strongarm…Grimlock… Fixit…

He was just about to ask Fixit for something before he realized that no bot was currently in the base other than himself. Bumblebee hit himself lightly in the helm. Of course, how could he have forgotten? Sideswipe, Strongarm, and Grimlock had gone to greet the bots coming from Cybertron, only bringing Fixit because the leader had refused to be held responsible for any things the minicon could destroy when left alone. Bumblebee smiled to himself as he thought about seeing his old team and friends again.

Finally stopping at his own quarters, the Camaro opened the door stepped inside. The interior of the room was quite bare, the inhabitant having only used it for recharging and as extra storage space for his things. Speaking of, Bumblebee tossed his now empty energon cube into a wastebasket in the corner, making his way over to the small closet he had for storing his old belongings.

Pulling out a small handmade book, waves of nostalgia hit Bumblebee as he flipped through it, smiling forlornly at the grinning faces displayed in the pictures. Jack, Miko and Raf had made it for him as a Creation Day gift to go along with another highly treasured object. Setting aside the book, Bumblebee rummaged through the closet and pulled out another object, his interest piqued when he felt its small size. The mech uncurled his servo to reveal a human sized violin case. The nostalgia was really piling on now, all the memories suddenly rushing back to the ex-scout's processer.

He examined the case's exterior, slightly surprised at the good condition it still seemed to be in after so many orns. Bumblebee took the violin case with him back into the rec-room, determined to enjoy the little time he had to himself. He set the case gently down onto the floor, transforming into a Camaro right after. The yellow bot focused everything he had to create a holoform, the creation appearing in the driver's seat not too soon after. The human looked about 18 or 19, shaggy blonde hair spilled over his head, reaching shoulder length. Two black streaks amidst the yellow made Bumblebee really look like the creature he was named after. Two baby blue eyes peered out from under the hair, deep and bright. An indifferent expression was set on the holoform's face, the once happy smile gone.

War had changed Bumblebee, forcing him to grow up faster than he should have or wanted to. He was no longer a naïve youngling, now a war veteran that had witnessed the rise and fall of enemies and comrades alike. The death of Jazz and Ironhide had really hit home, forcing Bumblebee to open his optics and see the world and the war for what it really was; a nightmare. The responsibility put on his shoulders from his promotion to lieutenant had only added to the massive amounts of new found pressure. He wasn't a completely changed mech though, his cheerful personality and bubbling curiosity two of the most prominent traits that had carried over from his youngling-hood.

The holoform opened the car door and stepped out, stretching a bit to loosen any stiff joints. He closed the door before he walked away from the parked Camaro, making his way to the violin case on the ground. The vehicle had transferred all of Bumblebee's conscious to the human body, and was currently in a light recharge mode. Bumblebee set the case down upright, undid the latches, and pulled out a Stentor 1550 4/4 violin. He ran his hand along the fine wooden finish of the violin, enjoying the hard cool surface beneath his fingers.

"Aren't you a beauty?" Bumblebee breathed as he examined the instrument further, not really believing his own eyes. The violin was made of a dark spruce wood, the four thin strings of catgut shining in the light of the rec room. The deep ebony colored neck curled into an elegant arch at the top, forming a golden scroll that sat just above four tuning pegs. Two signature markings were etched into the lower bout, completing the simple but beautiful look of the violin.

Bumblebee reached into the case once more the grab the bow, made of the same fine spruce wood as the instrument it came with. He didn't for get to apply a thin layer of rosin to the horsehairs of the bow before setting the violin on his shoulder, tilting his head a bit to nestle into the chinrest. The blonde tentatively raised the bow to the strings of the violin, took a deep breath, and tried playing a simple scale, starting from C.

 _C-...D..…_ E _…..F…G…A…B…C…_

It was a bit shaky at first, but as he went on, the notes became steadier in the beat he was trying to follow. After that first scale, Bumblebee frowned, the notes sounded a bit off. He spent another few minutes tinkering and adjusting the tuning pegs, determined to find the perfect pitch. Once again raising the violin to his shoulder, he played the same scale.

 _C...D…E…F…G…A…B…C…_

Each note rang out clear and true, and Bumblebee smiled, knowing that his violin was finally back to its best state. He continued to play the same scale, increasing the speed each time he tried. Soon, the blonde had re-mastered all the notes he had learned before and moved on to some simple songs like "Hot Cross Buns" and "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star." Of course he made quick work of those and tried even more complicated tunes that he tried to play from memory, becoming frustrated when he playing a wrong note.

Bumblebee was ecstatic when he dug up some old sheets of music from the closet in his room and set to try to play them. In no time, he did exactly that, all the previous experience he had from orns ago flying back to him. He laughed when he completed his second go at "Canon in D", eager for some new pieces to play.

He set down his violin inside its case, tucking the bow away along with it before the holoform disappeared. The previously stationary Camaro's engine revved in excitement before transforming into the 9 foot tall Cybertronian it actually was, Bumblebee instantly heading towards the computer system in the room. Violins were a human instrument. Surely there were many other humans that can play the violin. Bumblebee became caught up listening to beautiful and enchanting covers for pop songs on a site called "Youtube." He found a solo he enjoyed greatly, called "Secrets" by OneRepublic. He was fascinated by all the different sounds one instrument could make, and instantly decided that he wanted to learn it.

After some rummaging through the internet, Bumblebee found some sheet music for the piece and set on trying to play it. He tried numerous times, but having just the solo in itself didn't sound quite as fulfilling as it could be. The Camaro found an old recording device and used it to record himself playing the background first, ranging from hitting his violin to make that dull echoing sound as a base to playing the part meant for a second violin. The whole process of playing and arranging the background took at least 2 joors, but Bumblebee didn't mind at all. He was happy with just the sounds of violin filling up the base, the echoes reminding him of the happy times he had back when he was still on Team Prime.

"And done!" Bumblebee exclaimed, finally done with arranging the background for "Secrets". It had taken a ton of time and effort, but it was finally done. The only thing left to do was to play the leading role. Bumblebee ginned the biggest grin he could and raised the violin to his shoulder, the movement fluent due to the many times he had done it in that evening. He hadn't been aware of anything going around him since he found the violin, all his attention going to playing. So much so that he forgot about the arrival of his old team from Cybertron.

Sideswipe, Strongarm, Grimlock, and Fixit were greeted by music when they walked into the base a few breems later, music that hadn't been there when they had left. Smokescreen, Bulkhead, Optimus ( I don't care that he's supposed to be dead! He isn't here.) and Ratchet ( He's also alive cause I don't give a fuck) were equally confused, though they didn't show it as much as Team Bumblebee did.

"Is that a human?! What's it doing in our base?!"

"Is it something to punch!?"

"That's Bumblebee's holoform stupid!"

"Did you just call me stupid?!"

"Why yes I did."

"You wanna go?!"

"Guys, meddle-kettle-SETTLE down."

"Still doesn't explain the music."

"I didn't know he liked to listen to human violins. He seemed to enjoy techno a lot more."

Said bot was too caught up in his playing that he didn't notice the hushed whispers coming from the entrance of the base. Bumblebee was almost one third of the way through the song before he messed up and went off beat. He cursed softly and stopped the recording, resetting it to try again. When silence pervaded the rec room for those short few Earth seconds, Sideswipe wanted to speak up and ask Bumblebee what he was doing from his place near the door. But Strongarm had stopped him, wanting to see what their leader was doing. The rest of team Prime silently agreed to this arrangement, staying quiet and watching their former teammate.

Unbeknownst to his audience at the door of the rec room, Bumblebee raised the violin to his shoulder again, waiting for his cue to start playing. The rhythmic tune of a violin started to play, soon followed by the steady beat of percussion. It was quite an enchanting start, making Sideswipe, ever the music lover, start to lightly tap his foot to the rhythm. After a minute, Bumblebee raised the bow, took a deep breath, and struck a note. A note followed the first, followed by another, and the blond quickly found himself succumbing to the music that came from the speakers he had set up around the room. He closed his eyes and let the sounds envelop him, seemingly coming from every direction. Bumblebee's hand seemed to move by itself, keeping up with the ever increasing tempo of the beat.

The bots by the door were amazed at the blonde holoform's talent, more so on Sideswipe, Strongarm, Grimlock, and Fixit's part than the rest. Optimus smiled softly at the sight, remembering his scout's enthusiasm the first time he had played the violin. Bumblebee had really dedicated himself to learning and mastering the violin, using the "worldwide web" to learn the techniques needed. His new found love for playing the instrument had even dulled the ache at the loss of his voice.

Bumblebee was halfway through the song, and so far it had been flawlessly executed; not a single mistake could have been found. He was confident enough to even start to do a little dance, moving his legs to match the rhythm. Everyone was enchanted by the display, enjoying every second of the music.

Bumblebee's team was impressed and confused at the same time. Why didn't their leader show off his talent more?

Smiling, Bumblebee truly started to dance. He moved about the room, letting his body do its own thing, his mind only being soothed by the music. His eyes were closed; he had deemed his hearing the only thing that he would need to play. The violin moved periodically with its player, still producing wonderful bouts of sound. The piece really came alive when a third violin came into play, amplifying the emotion behind what Bumblebee was unknowingly conveying through the way he played each note. The bots could really see Bumblebee let himself go, the smile on his face giving away anything and everything he would have wanted to hide. The piece soon reached its climax, having up to four violins playing in the background. It was a wonderful assault of notes to everyone's audio receptors, the different layers coming together to create one beautiful collage. Each violin started to fade away, leaving Bumblebee to his solo. It was wonderfully silent in the background, and each note was heard loud and clear. It truly was a breathtaking sight to the audiences' optics and a joy to every bots' audio receptors.

The piece soon came to an end, and the holoform did a little twirl at his success. In doing so, he saw the bots by the door, and promptly stopped mid-spin in undisguised horror. Bumblebee quickly put down his instrument in its respective spot in its case along with the bow, and flopped down the cover of the case. The holoform faded from existence, and the Camaro ten feet away sprung to life.

Transforming, Bumblebee turned away from his audience, a light blush tinting his cheekplates. He was embarrassed that his team had seen him playing. How were they going to take him seriously now?! An awkward silence settled in the base, but Bumblebee decided to break it.

"I-it wasn't very good, I know...," the Camaro mumbled softly, still avoiding looking directly at the other bots.

"Not very good?!" Sideswipe shrieked, now truly confused. "That was amazing!"

There were various nods and grunts of agreement from the group.

"You think so?" Bumblebee finally looked up to face the others, the blush still not having fully left his cheekplates.

"We know so!" Strongarm spoke up, a fiery undercurrent lacing her words.

"You have to stop underestimating yourself like that 'bee." Smokescreen looked sadly at his friend. Ratchet only grunted in agreement.

Bumblebee's blush deepened, and he lowered his head again, silently berating himself for being appearing so weak and flustered. He jolted in surprise when he felt a large servo clasp his shoulder, a reassuring smile on Bulkhead's faceplates appearing into view.

"You did great little buddy."

"Thanks 'big buddy'." Bumblebee smiled back at his longtime friend.

"Play more for us?"

"…sure."

 **-xxxxXxxxx-**

 **The song that Bumblebee was playing and inspired me to write this was "One Republic - Secrets (Violin Cover-Andres Bryson)". You can find it on Youtube and I really recommend that you do. His work is beautiful and very inspirational!**

 **Please leave a review! Flames are very much welcomed, I need some constructive criticism!**


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